Delivery driver used her keys to fight off customer who tried to choke her, police say

ATLANTA, Ga. -- (WGN) -- When a customer twice her size declared he was “Jesus” and attacked an Atlanta-area delivery driver, she grabbed her keys to defend herself, the woman told WSB-TV.

Sonya King was dropping off food for DoorDash on Saturday when a customer in northwest Atlanta – who at first seemed normal, she said – invited her in to leave the items on a counter.

King was about to leave when the man, identified as 54-year-old Rick Painter, asked her if she wanted a $5 tip, according to WXIA.

“In the process of him going through his wallet, he said, 'Oh and by the way I'm Jesus,'” King told WSB-TV. As she started walking for the door she said she felt Painter grab her headscarf.

“He's grabbing me and trying to choke me with my own niqab,” she said. “I kept telling that man I've got kids.”

King said she managed to shove a finger into one of his eyes and use her keys as an improvised weapon, allowing her to run from the home.